Apple announces new iPad will go on sale at 8 a.m. local time on Friday

When the new iPad goes on sale in the U.S. and nine other countries this Friday, it will become available at 8 a.m. local time, Apple announced on Wednesday.

The third-generation iPad will be available at Apple's retail stores and the company's online store this Friday at 8 a.m. in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the U.K. It will also be available in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In addition to Apple's retail stores, the new iPad will also be available in the U.S. at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Sam's Club, Target and Walmart on Friday's launch day. 4G LTE versions will also be available at AT&amp;T and Verizon retail stores in the U.S.

Officially announced a week ago, the new iPad has a high-resolution Retina display powered by the new A5X chip that features quad-core graphics processing. The third-generation tablet also sports a 5-megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics capable of recording 1080p video.

The new iPad also offers a 4G LTE model capable of connecting to high-speed data networks in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 3G networks around the world based on HSPA+ and DC-HSPDA.

The first iPad customer in line at Apple's Fifth Ave store. Photo by AppleInsider reader Ryan.

In addition to the new iPad, Apple has also continued to sell last year's iPad 2 in a capacity of 16GB, starting at $399 for the Wi-Fi-only model. A 3G-capable version is also available for $529.

New iPads purchased at an Apple retail store come with free "Personal Setup" service, which helps customers customize their iPad by setting up e-mail, installing software from the App Store and more. Apple also offers its "Personal Pickup" service at U.S. retail stores, allowing customers to shop and buy from anywhere, then pick up their purchase at any retail store.

Does this mean they will not be for sale at AT&T or Verizon stores? Is this a change from The previous release?

No, it doesn't mean that. They just didn't include the full line from the article they took that from:

Quote:

In addition to Apple Stores, the new iPad will also be available at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart, as well as via wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon. Those retailers will likely have a limited number of new iPads, so it's best to check with your local store before heading over.

No. This article is about Apple saying when the iPad will start selling/can be picked up at their stores. ATT and Verizon get to pick their own times and announce them directly.

No, this is an article repeating basically a lot of what the PC Mag article I linked says. The line being talked about was mostly copied straight from that article, too, though without the part mentioning AT&T and Verizon stores.

I've never, ever lined up for an Apple product before (or any product), but am actually debating doing it for this one. I don't want to wait another couple weeks for it. Althought my lineup tolerance would be like 1 hr at the maximum.

I have never camp for any product, but I have get lucky a couple of times by being an early bird accidentally I still haven't decided whether to do it this time or not, I am very curious to know how is like if there are more than twenty an less than fifty I will do it

Of course anybody could buy 2 iPads and have them delivered to their home or office on Friday and save the hassle of standing in line.

And, of course, many people standing in line already bought their two iPads for delivery and are looking to buy more so they can sell them at a profit to those who don't wish to stand in line or wait for the back orders to fill.

I've never, ever lined up for an Apple product before (or any product), but am actually debating doing it for this one. I don't want to wait another couple weeks for it. Althought my lineup tolerance would be like 1 hr at the maximum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnt

I have never camp for any product, but I have get lucky a couple of times by being an early bird accidentally I still haven't decided whether to do it this time or not, I am very curious to know how is like if there are more than twenty an less than fifty I will do it

Stopped by my local Apple Store today. Confirmed they were opening at 8 am. Preordered mine for in store pickup. Said they would have a separate line for the in store pickup preorders, but that this line could be long, too, as they have had more pre-orders than they have for any prior preorder.

I pre-ordered mine as soon as the site stopped crashing from orders last Wed. Since Friday when I got my email, the tracking has just said Nashville. I got one of the first orders and apparently mine was already in the country. Sadly it is a few hours down the road from me in Nashville, TN until probably tomorrow when it will drive up here, then get delivered Friday. So frustrating knowing how close it is.

Of course anybody could buy 2 iPads and have them delivered to their home or office on Friday and save the hassle of standing in line.

And, of course, many people standing in line already bought their two iPads for delivery and are looking to buy more so they can sell them at a profit to those who don't wish to stand in line or wait for the back orders to fill.

Sell for profit? Now that would be the only logical reason I can think of, but still, it'd be rather low pay per hour.

Otherwise, I always wondered if camping in cities is even legal. Eating and drinking works without moving, but how do they handle the bathroom stuff without losing their places in line?

I'd want $50 per hour and a free MacBook Air for even pretending to stand/sit in some line, pretending to buy a DRM'ed gadget...

...Eating and drinking works without moving, but how do they handle the bathroom stuff without losing their places in line?

For bathrooms, there's one in the Apple Store, and like Regent Street in London, there's an automated public restroom thing open 24 hours a day less than a few blocks away. People that have lined up find that the atmosphere is supportive and jovial, keeping your place in line is not a big issue if you discuss accordingly with your fellow queuers.

Ordered the evening of the announcement, once their web servers started actually working! Got the shipping notice last Friday, it said the unit had been picked up and was at a FedEx location in PA. As with others, it was for overnight service, but restricted to being delivered by the 16th.

So they are paying for overnight service even though the unit will be held for a full week by the carrier? And we wonder why their products are so expensive?

So today I see it finally moved from PA to NJ (final delivery is in NYC). I assume today it will move to the NYC depot to be out on trucks tomorrow. I still am not sure why we paid (indirectly) for overnight... they could have given it to a bicycle messenger who could have got it from pickup to the NYC depot by Mon/Tues this week. Going to be interesting to see exactly what hour it arrives tomorrow... typically FedEx delivers mid day in my hood...